LSE host 'rape legitimiser'

This is a cross post by Mr Happy from Harry's Place Looks like the LSE is in the news for all the wrong reasons again. If it isn’t Libyan blood money, then it’s cosying up to the most odious of hate-preachers. For the committee of the London School of Economics’ Islamic Society’s 10th anniversary dinner, something special must have been ordered to mark the event. Speaking at the event is Muhammed Bin Adam Al-Kawthari, a vicious hate preacher.Al-Kawthari is known for his extreme views on women, marriage, sexuality and violent Jihad. From a website where you can post questions to him, he issues the following guidance for suitable punishments for those who commit adultery:

“If the crime of fornication is carried out by an individual who is sane, mature, Muslim and is married to a spouse who is also sane, mature, Muslim, and that their marriage is consummated, then the legal punishment is that he/she will be stoned to death (rajm). The Imam, witnesses and other Muslims would take part in the stoning.”

Imam al-Nawawi (Allah have mercy on him) states in his commentary on the Hadith of Abu Huraira stated above:This Hadith indicates that it is unlawful (haram) for the wife to refuse her husband for sexual intimacy without a valid reason. Menstruation will not be considered a valid reason, for the husband has a right to enjoy her from above the garment (on top of cloths).

If that’s ambiguous to you, then in his own words:

The above and other narrations of the beloved of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) clearly signify the importance of the wife obeying her husband in his request for sexual intimacy. It will be a grave sin (in normal circumstances) for the wife to refuse her husband, and even more, if this leads the husband into the unlawful.

What are his words if they aren’t an endorsement for marital rape? If his advice can get any more worrying (which it can), in a question asked to him ‘When is Jihad an Obligation to me?’, he offers the following:

“From the above we can conclude that Jihad in places like Kashmir is personally obligatory for the people of that land. My respected teacher Mufti TaqiUsmani once mentioned that the Jihad in Kashmir is defensive because it belongs to Pakistan according to the constitution on which Pakistan was formed. However if the people of Kashmir, Chechnya, etc. are not capable of defending themselves or if they are neglectful, then Jihad will become personally obligatory on the Muslims nearest them, e.g. Muslims of Pakistan. If they are also neglectful or weak, then the Muslims nearest them, and so forth, until it becomes personally obligatory for all the Muslims.”

The perfect recruitment ad for young British Muslims. The most wicked and evil of his words of advice are from his last sentence: “If they are also neglectful or weak, then the Muslims nearest them, and so forth, until it becomes personally obligatory for all the Muslims.” It’s a clear endorsement for British Muslims to fight in the so-called ‘defensive Jihad’. Rarely am I left speechless when fighting hate-preachers on University campus but words fail me here. This man will have an exclusive platform to himself and whilst this is all happening, there is no doubt young Muslims will put down their academic books and pick up his words of hate.

On Monday 12 February, former Israeli Deputy Prime Minister and Likud Party politician Dan Meridor gave a speech entitled ‘Threats and Challenges’ to students at the Strand Campus of King’s College London (KCL). This event, which was jointly organised by The Pinsker Centre and the KCL and City University Israel Societies, was met with vocal protests by students and activists affiliated to anti-Israel groups. Video footage shows how a crowd of around sixty protestors waved placards and sought to disrupt the event by screaming loudly outside the entrance to the lecture room where Meridor was speaking. Some protestors were reported to have photographed members of the audience leaving the room. The Union of Jewish Students (UJS) condemned what it called “disgraceful scenes”, and the President of the Board of Deputies of British Jews claimed that he would be in contact with the Principal of KCL to “gain assurances that there will be no repeat”. We hope that KCL can fully ensure that future speakers, Israeli or otherwise, are not subject to similar attempts at disruption in future, nor their audience subject to unacceptable levels of hostility and intimidation.

In the lead up to Holocaust Memorial Day 2018, the UK government has announced that it will partner with the Union of Jewish Students (UJS) and the Holocaust Education Trust (HET) in sending 200 university students from across the UK to Auschwitz-Birkenau, the former Nazi extermination camp in Poland. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and the Department for Education have pledged to devote £144,000 to the project. They aim to train participants so that they can educate fellow students about anti-Semitism when they return to UK campuses. Student Rights is extremely supportive of the government’s decision to support students in this way. We hope it has a tangible impact at all levels of student life across the UK.

On 17 January 2018, the Warwick for Justice in Palestine group hosted an event at the University of Warwick, which has been described by pro-Israel blogger David Collier as “anti-Semitic pseudoscience”. The talk, which was delivered by KCL Research Fellow Dr. Siggie Vertommen, was entitled “Anticolonial Resistance is Fertile: Sperm Smuggling and Birth Strikes in Palestine/Israel”. Vertommen accused Israel of selectively implementing a policy of ‘pronatalism’ - promoting higher birth rates for Jews - aimed at serving “the reproductive rights of its Jewish population at the expense of the indigenous Palestinian population”. It is concerning that the group hosting Vertommen consisted of both faculty staff and students. This gives a veneer of academic respectability to the unpleasant arguments made by the speaker. Disturbingly, Collier also reported that organisers refused to let some attendees enter the event, despite the fact that the event was advertised publicly. We are glad that Collier is lodging an official complaint with the university and we urge other concerned students or faculty members to do likewise.